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Most days I eat two breakfasts. One is usually small for pre-workout fuel at 5:30am, such as a muffin, energy ball, half a banana, or a piece of toasted Ezekial bread with nut butter. The other is usually once I settle at my desk anytime between 8-9ish after my morning work routine (six flights of stairs, boot up laptop, check emails, go back down for coffee, and six flights of stairs again). I try and vary what I bring for work breakfasts, but they usually entail some type of cottage cheese or yogurt bowl with varied mix ins or an oatmeal bake. Whatever it is, it always has protein to keep me full throughout the morning.

Despite the whole two breakfasts thing, sometimes I feel like I get cheated out of that big breakfast feel. If Sundays end up being a rest day from the gym for Tim and me, we like to make a sit down breakfast such as protein pancakes or omelettes. There’s just something so nice about rolling out of bed and putting a delicious breakfast together before easing into the day with a cup of coffee, am I right?

Today I want to share one of our latest weekend favorites with you. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash

Serves 4

Ingredients

1-2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut up into half inch cubes

1 large red bell pepper, roasted and diced

1/2 a yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Half a 15 ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 tbsp paprika

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Place the cubed sweet potatoes in a pot, and fill the pot with enough water to cover the potatoes. Boil for ten minutes or until the sweet potatoes are fork tender. Once cooked, drain the water, and set the sweet potatoes aside.

Heat 1 tbsp of the extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion, and cook 3-4 minutes or until translucent. Add the minced garlic, and cook for another minute.

Add the sweet potatoes to the skillet, and then season with the salt, pepper, paprika, and crushed red pepper. Add another tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, and cook until the sweet potatoes start to crisp, about 5-10 minutes.

Next add the diced roasted red pepper, and cook for another 3-5 minutes before adding the chopped cilantro and black beans and cooking for 2-3 more minutes. If you aren’t a cilantro person, just sub parsley or another herb of choice.

Finally, add the white wine vinegar to de-glaze the pan a bit. Cook for 2 minutes, or until the vinegar begins to cook off (you shouldn’t be able to smell it anymore).

Transfer to a bowl, and then serve under poached eggs, eggs over easy or sunny side up, or as part of a big egg scramble. Enjoy!

I love that this meal is a different spin on your typical ole breakfast hash and uses sweet potatoes in lieu of regular potatoes to make it a little bit healthier. Since I’m not a huge potato person, I never really enjoy ordering hash at a restaurant, but Tim loves it, so this sweet potato breakfast hash gives us the best of both worlds. Adding the black beans and cilantro gives the breakfast a southwestern feel, and the flavors are all just so tasty together, especially when used as a base for eggs.

Despite using paprika and some crushed red pepper, this meal isn’t very spicy, although my spice tolerance has gone way up in the past couple of years. If you wanted to make this spicier, you could add some chili pepper or cayenne.

Like I said, this is becoming our go to weekend meal, both on days we roll out of bed and on mornings that we workout first. It doubles as breakfast and lunch, and the protein from the beans and eggs keeps us full. We’ve also been making this a lot for quick BFD (breakfast for dinner) nights. We meal plan and prep a lot on Sundays, but Wed and Thurs nights sometimes tend to be more throw together meals in our house. This one does this trick!

If you try it out, let me know. Hope you love it!

Readers, let’s chat! What is your usual breakfast routine? What are your thoughts on hash? What is your go to weekend breakfast of choice? Do you ever eat breakfast for dinner?

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Hello, loves! It’s been quiet on F&F this week. Lots going on with wedding planning, and I’ve been in a little bit of a writing funk. I was able to share this inspiration though, so if you missed it on Tuesday, check it out. And then enjoy the weekly link love!

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Last Thursday was the first morning class I’ve taught in a while that felt like my usual crowd again. To say attendance has been wonky with all the stupid snow and cold temps in Boston lately would be an understatement. But last week many of my regulars returned, and it definitely helped me find the instructor energy that I’ve really had to dig deep for with the low class numbers this month.

I also had a couple of new faces in class. With my morning crowd usually being so regular, it’s pretty easy for me to spot newbies or at least members who haven’t been to class in awhile. To make everyone feel as comfortable as they can (it’s always a little intimidating to try a new class!), I always make sure to welcome anyone who might be new when I introduce myself and get class going, I explain that my classes are a mix of both cardio and strength training and that I try to switch things up every week. Most importantly, I tell everyone to please work at a pace that works for them. Whatever feels right one morning might not necessarily be the case week to week, so I usually set the tone by saying as long as everyone is listening to their bodies but also choosing something that is challenging for them, that they will get a lot out of the class.

I’ve done this both a few times in class and on my own, and it gets me every time. It is not an easy one. I gave modifications for most of the moves, but I did forget to give a modified option for the bear crawls. For those of you who don’t know what a bear crawl is, check out this video from Girls Gone Strong/Molly Galbraith, and fast forward to a little after two minutes.

Anyways, as the class was doing their bear crawls during one of the rounds, one of the new girls happened to be right next to me. She stopped where she was and asked me if there were any modified versions of the bear crawl that I could show her. I gave her a couple options such as doing less reps and only going forward instead of the forward and backward combo we were doing. I also showed her how to do bear crawl holds without actually crawling and gave her the option of balancing in the bear crawl stance while lifting either a hand, a leg, or both in opposition. Finally, I said that spiderman planks were perfectly fine too.

After I explained each one, she looked up at me with a big smile and said something so simple.

“Thanks. I will get there.”

She didn’t get frustrated with herself.

She didn’t say that she couldn’t do it.

She listened to her body, spoke up, and chose to do something that was still challenging for her current fitness level instead of nothing at all.

She didn’t give up.

I gave this girl the biggest smile back and said, “Yes. You WILL!”

All of this took about 90 seconds total, but I’m still thinking about that moment in class. It made my heart so HAPPY. Too often we are so quick to say “yeah… no” when something seems a little bit out of our comfort zones. I’m guilty of it too, but whenever we say that we can’t do something, we just reinforce that message in our minds.

Instead, we need to all approach challenges with the words CAN and WILL. It makes a world of difference in what we are actually able to do.

So next time you find yourself telling yourself you can’t do something, no matter in what context of your life, stop the negative self talk and think of the bear crawl girl. You aren’t any different from her.

And you will get there too. <3

Readers, let’s chat! Do you find yourselves using negative self talk and saying “I can’t do that” when something seems challenging? If so, how can you start saying that you can and will instead? For those already embracing positive self talk, what advice do you have for those who are still working on it?

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Welcome! I'm Athena, a twenty-something corporate wellness coordinator, personal trainer, and fitness instructor living in the Boston area. I am passionate about helping women feel empowered to lift heavy weights and treat themselves with self compassion. I believe that strength is contagious and healthy living lets people become their happiest and best version of themselves. I also love awkward moments, trying new restaurants, and taking group exercise classes around the city. Oh yeah, and drinking wine too. Thanks for stopping by!

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Disclaimer

I am a certified personal trainer (ACSM) and certified group fitness instructor (AFAA); however the ideas I express in Fitness & Feta are mine alone, based on my own experiences, and should not be taken as medical advice. This blog is simply meant to guide you toward a healthier path and inspire you. I do NOT photograph everything I eat.